In an iconic photograph from Sept. 6, 1997, assistant coach Kevin Patrick is shown leading the USF football team out of the Tampa Stadium tunnel and sprinting onto the field for the program's inaugural game against Kentucky Wesleyan.
"Are you kidding?'' first-year USF head football coach Alex Golesh said when he was shown the image. "My gosh, it really is KP. I always assumed that was Jim Leavitt (inaugural head coach) in the front. How about that?''
Golesh put down the photo, then shook his head.
"In a way, it doesn't surprise me.''
Back then, Patrick was the fresh-faced, full-of-life, 26-year-old assistant who wasn't far removed from his days as an All-American defensive lineman with the Miami Hurricanes.
Now, he's a sage 51-year-old veteran graybeard (literally) on his third tour of duty with the USF Bulls, but with just as much enthusiasm. He's again charged with molding the program's defensive linemen, this time working under Golesh. It's the latest stop on Patrick's Forrest Gump-like trip through USF football history. And as much as things have changed, one thing has remained the same.
Kevin Patrick still has a love affair with Bulls football.
"This program keeps pulling me back,'' Patrick said with a laugh. "But I have a passion for it. Always have. Always will.''
He helped get the fledgling program off the ground, when Leavitt's assistants operated in trailers and worked round-the-clock. After leaving coaching for a 10-year period to enter private business, Patrick returned in 2008 to coach the likes of future NFL players such as George Selvie (USF's first Consensus All-American) and Terrell McClain, while also closing the deal on the recruitment of Jason Pierre-Paul, who became an All-American, two-time Super Bowl champion and a three-time Pro Bowler.
Eventually, he migrated to North Texas (2014-16), NC State (2017-19) and Florida Atlantic (2020-22), where he oversaw a unit that tied for the Conference USA lead in sacks. After a USF coaching change in November, Patrick kept his antennas up. When his FAU defensive coordinator, Todd Orlando, announced he was joining Golesh at USF, Patrick said that news made for a quick and easy conversation.
"I had the benefit of working with Todd Orlando, so he comes in and tells me, 'Hey, look, I'm taking the job over at USF' … and I said, 'Say no more,' '' Patrick said. "I was already packing my bags. There was no discussion, no negotiation, nothing like that. I just came running.
"Coach Orlando obviously had a relationship with Coach Golesh. And I had a relationship with Coach Orlando. So, when he said he wanted me to come to USF with him, all I said was, 'Let's go!' ''
Golesh said he couldn't be happier with Patrick's decision.
"It's priceless having KP here,'' Golesh said. "He's like my go-to on just about everything. He's my resident expert on what it was like around here when things were good. He gives me the truth.
"He's my guy who can gauge the temperature of the team. He's very real, very open, very honest and as a first-time head coach, that's super valuable for me. Plus, he's one heck of a defensive line coach and I know how much he loves this place. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear he played here at USF.''
Golesh said he only knew Patrick through Orlando — and that made the reunion even more special.
"KP didn't really know me and there's usually the thought of, 'Man, do I want to go work for this guy? Who is he really?' '' Golesh said. "I've talked with a lot of coaches who were interested in joining our staff. But it's cooler when a guy like KP wants to come. Because that means he made those calls and he liked what he heard.
"He's a seasoned, well-respected guy who has been through the wars and probably could've gotten any job he wanted. So, he chose us. He chose me. He knows the work we have ahead of us and he authentically, genuinely loves this place. I'm pumped that he's here. It means everything to me.''
If anyone understands what's needed to turn around USF football, it's Kevin Patrick. And he believes that Golesh is the right head coach at the right time.
"Coach Golesh is a great fit,'' Patrick said. "He has so much energy. He has the ingredient of toughness and the personality that's going to carry that forward. It will make an impact. That's what this place needs.
"This program needs a guy who's not necessarily from Florida or Tampa or went to school here, but just that perfect fit. I think he's a perfect fit in a lot of different ways.''
Even though Golesh is new to USF, Patrick said he believes the head coach can easily understand the DNA of Bulls football.
"Every second that I've ever spent here, it was all about toughness — mentally and physically,'' Patrick said. "We started a program here with absolutely nothing. It took toughness to get this thing off the ground and propel it where we wanted to go. This program came a long way in the collegiate football world — and toughness was the reason why. We've got to get that back, where you're always feeling that extra bit of grit in your stomach.
"We want players who are physically tough and mentally tough. Without those qualities, you can't play this game. We're going to find those players and play that USF style of football. We had a lot of guys considered rag-tags and leftovers that we built a foundation on, but those guys were tough. They had pride in their play and pride in each other. That's what we're looking for now — guys who create havoc up front, guys who will hit you, guys who never stop coming at you.''
Patrick can't wait until the old-school USF values merge with the program's new-world ambitions. Until then, he has no immediate plans to lead the Bulls out of the tunnel.
"Before we went out there for the first game, Coach Leavitt told me, 'Hey, you're going to lead the team out,' and I just said, 'OK,' '' Patrick said with a laugh. "We went through this little door-frame thing that was shooting off fire and sparks. It kind of scared me. But I just took off running, fast as I could and the adrenaline was pumping. I just lived in that moment and didn't think too much about it.
"But, you know what? I had that moment. As long as this earth spins, I can go back to that one. I don't think it ever dawned on me until lately how special it really was. It was the beginning of our program. It was USF football history. And there I was, front and center. I was really, really fortunate, just like I'm fortunate right now.''
Kevin Patrick is back with USF football.
Something about it just seems right.
Picture perfect.
 – Go Bulls –
